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Mitsumine Shrine, one of Japan’s most beautiful mountain shrines, is located deep in the mountains of Saitama Prefecture, at the top of Mt. Mitsumine approximately 1,100m above ground, making it one of Japan’s famous unkai viewing spots (sea of clouds).
Mitsumine Shrine is one of the rare shrines that worship guardian wolves, rather than dogs. In ancient times, wolves were considered holy and offered protection against fire and house break-ins (in a spiritual sense). Before there were even roads or clear mountain paths, people would make the arduous and sometimes treacherous ascent up the mountain to the shrine to offer their prayers in return for protection.
One notable visitor of the shrine was the late Masutatsu Oyama (1923 – 1994), founder of Kyokushin Karate. Masutatsu made numerous visits to the shrine and secluded himself in the woods as part of his training. He would later on be featured in a manga called Karate Baka Ichidai (lit. A Karate-Crazy Life) as the main character. The English title was Karate Master.
Normally people will take a train and bus to the shrine’s entrance, however if you are feeling adventurous, you can do the scenic 2-3hr hike from the very bottom.
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The KON’CHA! team is a small crew of 4 people dedicated to showing you all the fun things you can see & do while on your trip in Japan! We try to feature unique experiences that you may only find on Japanese travel blogs and websites.
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